Composting
Composting is a safe, natural and convenient way to convert organic matter into a useful product. When spread in the garden, compost improves soil aeration, water retention, root penetration and provides valuable nutrients to plants.
Home Composting
It’s easy to convert leaves, grass clippings and vegetable scraps into valuable compost. Howard County’s Bureau of Environmental Services Composting webpage is a great place to learn:
- How to compost at home
- How residents can pick up a free backyard compost bin (while supplies last)
- How to purchase HoCoGro Compost – made here in Howard County!
The Howard County Master Gardeners provide composting demonstrations and give-aways at multiple locations in the county. Knowledgeable volunteers give tips and answer questions. Check the Howard County Master Gardener webpage for locations, dates and times.
Yard Trim Composting
Howard County has an extensive residential curbside yard trim collection program. Most areas of the County receive curbside collection of grass, leaves and light brush on their recycling days between the first week in April to the third week in January. Check the website for the details and please note that yard waste is no longer collected in plastic bags.
By collecting and composting yard trim, the County saves money that would have been spent to landfill these items. The yard trim is converted into useful products whenever possible including mulch and HoCoGro compost.
Howard County residents are also welcome to take yard trim and natural wood waste to Alpha Ridge Landfill.
Feed the Green Bin
Did you know that about 30% of what we throw away is food waste? Howard County’s ‘Feed the Green Bin’ food composting program is underway in certain parts of the County to address this issue. Although not available to all areas of the County yet, this innovative food waste composting program collects these materials separately so they can be professionally composted with high-tech monitoring. Details about the programs, including an easy online search to see if your house is eligible, are at and FeedTheGreenBin.org.
Please follow the link to learn more about Howard County’s composting facility.